JAMES The Night Before (2010 UK 7-track CD mini-album - Produced by Lee 'Muddy' Baker [who produced 'Hey Ma' as well as Booth's solo album 'Bone' in 2004], this mini album contains all brand new studio material from the 7 piece band, and seems fearless in comparison to its predecessors, a product, no doubt, of the way it was conceived: the band set up an ftp site to which they all contributed, downloading and updating each other's efforts at various intervals whilst Baker knocked things into shape. This 'virtual' recording process, was presumably inspired by the band's history of working with Brian Eno and has brought out the best in James, the results proving as diverse and intriguing as anything the band have attempted before. The focus track from the mini album is 'Crazy' which is the stand out track for the whole band. It gains it's inspiration from Booth's hospitalization for liver disease. Throughout recovery Booth has been convinced that his physical frailty [which often produced hallucinations] meant that he was 'crazy'. The song has a sense of triumph but it's surely true to say that if James have always written uplifting songs about insecurity, disaffection and mental illness then these songs take the record to a whole new level!).